This application claims Japanese Patent Application No.2001-190863, filed in Jun. 25, 2001, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical control electromagnetic wave circuit. It can change dynamically and freely an electromagnetic wave circuit, when another electromagnetic wave circuit for changing such as a microwave circuit is provided.
2. Description of the Related Art
As disclosed in this specification, the present inventor is developing a microwave circuit comprising a structure totally different from a conventional microwave circuit. According to the microwave circuit under development, an antenna provided with functions which has not been realized by any conventional antennas can be provided.
A major feature of this antenna under development is the ability to dynamically change the shape of antenna elements, which will be described later.
As a prior art of the present invention, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2001-230622 shows an antenna of which characteristics is changeable dynamically. The prior art is also opened with internet (info@campuscreate.com).
The prior art adopts a configuration using a semiconductor as an antenna element so that the antenna characteristic can be changed according as the antenna is irradiated with light or when not irradiated with light. More specifically, the following three configurations are presented in the prior art.
(1) Configuration shown in FIG. 13A
As shown in FIG. 13A, in a case that the elements of a dipole antenna are semiconductors 201, a surface resistance value of the semiconductors decreases when the antenna is irradiated with light 204, which causes the semiconductors to operate as the antenna, and the semiconductors are changed to substance similar to insulator when the antenna is not irradiated, which causes the semiconductors not to operate as the antenna. Reference numeral 202 shows radio wave irradiated to the antenna.
(2) Configuration shown in FIG. 13B
As shown in FIG. 13B, in a case that a semiconductor is placed at an opening of a slot antenna, the semiconductor operates as the antenna when the antenna is not irradiated with light and the semiconductor does not operate as the antenna when the antenna is irradiated with light.
(3) Configuration shown in FIG. 13C
As shown in FIG. 13C, in a case that the elements of a dipole antenna are semiconductors, when the antenna is irradiated with light over a wide range of light such as light (1) 207, the semiconductors operate at a low frequency and when the antenna is irradiated with light over a narrow range of light such as light (2) 208, the semiconductors operate at a high frequency.
The prior art is a particularly excellent invention, but the invention adopts a configuration using semiconductors only for an antenna section while using a conventional metallic micro strip line for a power supply line, etc. and therefore the invention has a problem that, once created, changing the antenna structure is impossible, therefore its use is limited.
That is, the prior art adopts a configuration as shown in FIG. 14 that a semiconductor element 212 operating as an antenna is placed on a power supply line (micro strip line) 210 at right angles to the power supply line so that power is supplied to the semiconductor element by electromagnetic coupling between the micro strip line and the semiconductor element.
The prior art, which is made of the above mentioned configuration, has a problem that, once created, changing the antenna structure is impossible. Therefore the use of the invention is limited.
Because the prior art adopts a configuration using a conventional metallic micro strip line for the power supply line, etc., the invention has a problem that providing an antenna with a free and flexible structure is impossible.
Furthermore, while the prior art can dynamically change the antenna characteristic, no consideration is given to any microwave circuit other than the antenna. The invention has problems that it is impossible to change dynamically the characteristic of the microwave circuit other than the antenna. So it is impossible to provide a microwave circuit with a free and flexible structure.
In a microwave circuit, a micro strip line which is a flat circuit is often used to transmit microwaves. Since the micro strip line can form not only a transmission line but also functional elements such as a phase shifter, filter, matching circuit or flat antenna, the micro strip line is used for many radio transmission systems.
However, since such a circuit is composed of metal conductors and an insulating substrate, once designed and manufactured, the characteristics thereof are determined fixedly. It happens a case which is necessary to newly create a circuit or add a switching element such as a pin diode to the circuit to change the circuit characteristic. Even if the circuit characteristic is changed by using the switching element, the switching element only switches between fixed circuits, therefore discontinuous and limited characteristics are only obtained according to the respective switched circuits.
The present invention has been created in view of the above-described circumstances, and its object is to provide a new optical control electromagnetic wave circuit capable of forming and controlling an entire electromagnetic wave circuit such as configurations and shapes of a micro strip line and flat antenna elements in real time. Further its object is to provide a new optical control electromagnetic wave circuit capable of flexibly supporting a variety of applications in various frequency bands with a single system.
In order to realize this object to form the antenna, the present invention comprises, displaying means for displaying the shape of an electromagnetic wave circuit which operates as an antenna; electromagnetic wave circuit forming means placed facing the displaying means and provided with a photoconductive layer. It forms an electromagnetic wave circuit according to the shape of the electromagnetic wave circuit displayed on the displaying means. Further it comprises light-shielding means made of a material provided with permeability with respect to electromagnetic waves processed by the electromagnetic wave circuit formed by the electromagnetic wave circuit forming means for shielding external light incident upon the electromagnetic wave circuit forming means.
The present invention as described above adopts a configuration providing the displaying means connected to a computer apparatus, etc. so that the displaying means displays the shape of an electromagnetic wave circuit that operates as an antenna to be provided according to a display control signal output from the computer apparatus, etc.
In response to the display of the shape of this electromagnetic wave circuit operating as an antenna, the shape of this electromagnetic wave circuit is mapped into the photoconductive layer of the electromagnetic wave circuit forming means. This forms the electromagnetic wave circuit operating as an antenna.
Further, as the light-shielding means is provided, it is ensured to map the shape of the electromagnetic wave circuit operating as an antenna into the photoconductive layer. The light-shielding means is made of a material of permeability with respect to electromagnetic waves processed by the electromagnetic wave circuit operating as an antenna, so it is ensured the operation of the electromagnetic wave circuit to operate as an antenna to be provided.
As described above, the present invention adopts a configuration to provide an electromagnetic wave circuit forming means composed of a transparent substrate comprising a transparent grounded conductive layer on the surface facing the displaying means and comprising photoconductive layer on the surface opposite thereto. The shape of the electromagnetic wave circuit operating as an antenna displayed on the displaying means is mapped into the photoconductive layer of the electromagnetic wave circuit forming means. Thus with the present invention, the electromagnetic wave circuit operating as an antenna can be changed dynamically by changing the shape of electromagnetic wave circuit displayed on the displaying means. Like this, any electromagnetic wave circuit can be realized freely and flexibly.
Furthermore, in order to realize this object to form a general electromagnetic circuit, the present invention provides displaying means for displaying the shape of an electromagnetic wave circuit; electromagnetic wave circuit forming means comprising a photo conductive layer which is placed facing the displaying means and forms an electromagnetic wave circuit according to the shape of the electromagnetic wave circuit displayed on the displaying means; and light-shielding means for shielding external light incident upon the electromagnetic wave circuit forming means.
The present invention as described above adopts a configuration with the displaying means connected to a computer apparatus, etc. so that the displaying means displays the shape of the electromagnetic wave circuit required to be formed according to a display control signal output from the computer apparatus etc.
In response to the display of the shape of this electromagnetic wave circuit, the shape of this electromagnetic wave circuit is mapped into the photoconductive layer of the electromagnetic wave circuit forming means. Like this the required electromagnetic wave circuit is provided with these means.
Further as the light-shielding means is provided, it is ensured to map the shape of the electromagnetic wave circuit into the photoconductive layer.
As shown above, the present invention adopts a configuration comprising electromagnetic wave circuit forming means, which comprises a transparent substrate composing a transparent grounded conductive layer on the surface facing the displaying means and comprising a photoconductive layer on the surface opposite thereto. Further the present invention can comprise the electromagnetic wave circuit forming means composed of a triplet layer structure. The shape of the electromagnetic wave circuit displayed on the displaying means is mapped into the photoconductive layer of the electromagnetic wave circuit forming means to form the electromagnetic wave circuit. In the case of the triplet layer structure, an electromagnetic wave circuit of low loss can be realized. Like this, the present invention can dynamically change the electromagnetic wave circuit by changing the shape of the electromagnetic wave circuit displayed on the displaying means, Thus any electromagnetic wave circuit can be realized freely and flexibly.
Therefore, the present invention can form and control an entire electromagnetic wave circuit such as configurations and shapes of a micro strip line and flat antenna elements in real time and flexibly support a variety of applications of a variety of frequency bands with a single system.
The objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be more clearly understood by referencing the following detailed disclosure and the accompanying drawings.